Uncertainty at Land Bank amid key resignations
Christo van der Rheede, executive director of Agri SA, has expressed certainty that the newly installed board of the Land Bank, and a new CEO, who still has to be appointed, will inspire confidence in the bank.
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America, Asia on high alert as bird flu cases continue to spread
The total number of chickens and turkeys affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the US in the second half of February has reached about 1,65 million.
Sin tax hike will negatively affect job creation – agri leaders
Stakeholders in the South African agriculture sector have voiced their disappointment about the above-inflation increases in excise duties, announced by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, during the national budget address on Wednesday, 23 February.
Call for Free State farmers to pay for road repairs met with dismay
Farmers in the Free State are in a catch-22 situation following a call by the Free State provincial government for the province’s farming sector to repair the ever-deteriorating provincial road network at their own cost.
Winter grain farmers to feel fuel price pinch
The expected increase in the fuel price for March will be especially devastating for winter grain producers, who are currently gearing up to start planting.
Small livestock farmers in the Free State ‘besieged’ by thieves
Farmers in the Phuthaditjhaba district of the Free State are left at the mercy of stock thieves, with little or no support from the South African Police Service (SAPS).
‘Lack of access to machinery hampering developing farmers’
Developing farmers who struggle to gain access to machinery at the right time during the production process should consider hiring a contractor, rather than buying their own equipment.
Plant-based ‘dairy’ fails to convert Australian milk-drinkers
Despite large investments in the manufacture of plant-based ‘milk’ products in Australia, only about 2% of Australian households regularly use them.
‘Mandatory EU alcohol labelling unlikely to impact SA wine exports’
Although the adoption of recommendations to make health warnings mandatory on all alcoholic drinks in Europe could initially result in additional costs, it is not expected to have a major impact on South African wine producers.
Wildlife attacks on Botswanan farmers increasing
Cases of wildlife attacks on farmers and their livestock in Botswana could increase as the government struggles to maintain fences that control the movement of dangerous wild animals in wildlife management areas.
Former Tongaat Hulett executives released on bail in fraud case
A culture of deference and a lack of challenging authority at Tongaat Hulett Limited (THL) resulted in employees following instructions without questioning the basis for accounting practices, according to an investigation by auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
‘Ramaphosa’s SONA pronouncements need to be turned into action’
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA 2022), on Thursday, 10 February, has been met with mixed reactions from stakeholders in the local agriculture sector.
Call to halt captive breeding of all big cat species
Animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS is urging government to include all big cat species, including tigers, in its new protective legislation for lions, and prohibit the commercial trade in all big cats and their body parts.
‘Minimum wage increase could cripple smaller farmers’
Small- and medium-sized horticulture farmers, in particular, will be worst affected by the recently announced increase in the national minimum wage, according to Mariette Hugo, Hortgro’s group operations manager.
SONA 2022: ‘Economically sound actions needed to drive agri growth’
Outlining their expectations for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), scheduled for Thursday, 10 February, agricultural associations agreed that more action and less talk about economic recovery was needed.
Fears mounting about renewed FMD outbreak in KZN
Farmers in the Mtubatuba district of KwaZulu-Natal are “hoping and praying” that the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) case detected at a dip tank in the previously reduced Disease Management Area (DMA) does not mean the disease has spread further.
‘Rising Russia-Ukraine tension could affect SA wheat price’
Although the current political tensions between Russia and Ukraine have not yet spilled over to global agricultural commodity markets, it could have serious implications for the rest of the world.
Billions in farming insurance pay-outs weigh on US taxpayers
Between 1995 and 2020, farmers in the US received more than US$143,5 billion (about R2,2 trillion) in federal crop insurance pay-outs, much of it subsidised by taxpayers.
World Wetlands Day: SA farmers praised for wetland conservation
Wetlands and the essential role these areas play is often overlooked, neglected and abused.
‘Turn-around strategy needed for SA’s malting barley industry’
South Africa’s malting barley production fell 95 000t short of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s (AB InBev) 360 000t-mandate during the past season, due to farmers rather planting crops with lower risk, such as canola and wheat.
